Jungle Action #5 reprints the recent Avengers #62, which moved Panther back to his homeland, and original material started with issue #6. Right from the splash page, Black Panther finds that Wakanda is being ruled by Killmonger, who is introduced as a ruthless foe.
He’s whipping Panther with a spiked belt.
We also meet Venomm, a less-important member of Black Panther’s rogue’s gallery.
The opening story, titled, “Panther’s Rage,” stretched from issues #6-18). One long, 13-issue arc—the longest in Marvel history thus far. McGregor would end up writing this title for several years. The mandate: You can do whatever you want with him, but make sure all the stories take place in Africa.
The tale introduced the theme of Panther being a “returning” hero to his people–a theme that would, frankly, eventually become an overused trope.
And it also made Wakanda a “real” place….
…By providing a map, as well as a blueprint for the Royal Palace.
Overall, the tale was about Wakanda’s revolution against their leader, The Black Panther. You could make valid arguments that the issues are a little too wordy, but the reality is that these are some of the best comics of the 1970s—maybe even of all time—and few people remember them. Yes, they’re wordy and occasionally clunky—but it’s important to remember that this was still the eras of Stan Lee and Roy Thomas, and nobody was wordier than them. The issues were popular on college campuses, but didn’t get widespread, mainstream comic reader appeal.